3104 replies to this topic

[splashflash]

Calgary has a lot of expressways, ring roads, and four light rail lines to the high parking fee city centre. Winnipeg does not have the money of Calgary, but buit freeway ring roads in the 1970s when it did have more money. The bus system there is quite good.

Edited by splashflash, 06 March 2019 - 02:45 PM.

[splashflash]

That article entirely missed the point of the data as the author tried to downplay how bad the situation is here, or just failed to read the data correctly.
Where else should Victoria be if not behind Vancouver and ahead of Kelowna on that scale? And the reason why Abbotsford was higher than Vancouver was because it relies heavily on Vancouver for employment, and therefore, long commutes. Since Cowichan is not a CMA nor is it part of Victoria’s CMA, the data doesn’t include commuters from Cowichan, many of whome drive at least an hour into the CRD.
We’ve also got a greater share of long commuters than Calgary, Winnipeg and Halifax (with their much larger CMA catchment areas compared to our small catchment area), among many others. That wasn’t mentioned in that article for reasons unknown.
So in short, for a self-contained CMA (with very few commuters working north of the CRD) our numbers are terrible. And if we were to expand that outlook to Cowichan we’d be one of the worst communities of under 1.5 million people in the country for long commutes. I don’t know why the article above got it so wrong.
Now that being said, we’re still not a candidate for commuter rail.

Well, it does not include Cowichan, and at 27,000 vehicles per day on the Malahat, assuming one way each at 1.5 people per vehicle is about 20,000 maybe the CVRD would be equivalent to the Central Valley Regional District, Abbotsford. Abbotsford does not have commuter rail either.

Most people in the CRD have short commutes which may be why the cyclist-friendly policies do not face big backlash at the polls or in chat circles except maybe here at VV.

It will be interesting to see if the numbers budge much when the McKenzie interchange opens. Probably not, but maybe we will be pleasantly surprised.

[RFS]

Most people in the CRD have short commutes which may be why the cyclist-friendly policies do not face big backlash at the polls or in chat circles except maybe here at VV.

This is the bike lane paradox. Literally everyone I have ever talked to from all walks of life, all ages, genders, races, cultures and creeds, coworkers, family, friends, enemies, taxi drivers and bar tenders, store owners and students, tour guides, construction workers, bus drivers, unemployed drinkers, literally everyone, they all HATE the bike lanes and laugh about how silly they are, and yet politically the bike lanes did great

[Mike K.]

Most people in the CRD have short commutes which may be why the cyclist-friendly policies do not face big backlash at the polls or in chat circles except maybe here at VV.

 

I'd wager that if 3.4% of motorists are stuck in traffic for 60+ minutes during the morning commute (the data was for the morning commute only) that the amount who drive 45+ minutes is significantly higher, possibly closer to 25%. That's staggeringly high for such a small, compact region as Greater Victoria.

 

And the afternoon commute, now that's another matter entirely with driving times that exceed the morning inflow.

[splashflash]

I'd wager that if 3.4% of motorists are stuck in traffic for 60+ minutes during the morning commute (the data was for the morning commute only) that the amount who drive 45+ minutes is significantly higher, possibly closer to 25%. That's staggeringly high for such a small, compact region as Greater Victoria.

And the afternoon commute, now that's another matter entirely with driving times that exceed the morning inflow.

A histogram of the range would have been nice to have been included in the article. Maybe Cory has some available?

Edited by splashflash, 06 March 2019 - 02:46 PM.

[DustMagnet]

This is the bike lane paradox. Literally everyone I have ever talked to from all walks of life, all ages, genders, races, cultures and creeds, coworkers, family, friends, enemies, taxi drivers and bar tenders, store owners and students, tour guides, construction workers, bus drivers, unemployed drinkers, literally everyone, they all HATE the bike lanes and laugh about how silly they are, and yet politically the bike lanes did great

 

This is statistically improbable unless you are all part of the same cult (not the Bike Cult though obviously).  Or you wear a shirt that says, "Don't talk to me unless you hate the bike lanes."

 

EDIT: I just had a great idea for a new T-shirt.  Could sell them at the next Car Free Day.

Edited by DustMagnet, 06 March 2019 - 06:24 PM.

[RFS]

This is statistically improbable unless you are all part of the same cult (not the Bike Cult though obviously). Or you wear a shirt that says, "Don't talk to me unless you hate the bike lanes."

EDIT: I just had a great idea for a new T-shirt. Could sell them at the next Car Free Day.

Its shockingly true. I cant recall ever having an in-person conversation where someone was pro bike lanes

[kxl]

Everyone you have ever talked to? Like, since you were two years old, having conversations about Victoria’s bike lanes with your playmates? And every day in your life ever since?

[LJ]

With the bus lane announcement today - rail is officially dead.

[Cats4Hire]

With the bus lane announcement today - rail is officially dead.

I don't think it's any deader than it was when they made the north lanes run to Burnside. It makes sense to make them run from the same A-B points anyway.

[Brantastic]

Was it not already assumed that these bus lanes were in the works? I don't think it was ever only one or the other.

[Cats4Hire]

yeah BC Transit's future plan has bus lanes up the TCH until at least the Burnside/OIH turn off and into View Royal/Colwood/Langford https://www.bctransi...sit-future-plan

[On the Level]

Ok, now that you've gotten that off your chest, give us something to chew on.

 

How much will the line cost, how many people will it remove from the roads, and what are the fare commitments expected of each rider?

 

I'd love to know that answer for "Rapid Buses".  How much does each fare actually cost when you calculate the costs like you have outlined for rail?

 

They try to recoupe 30% of funding costs but have yet to achieve that....for operating.  Capital costs are provided by the "3 funding sources"......(Federal, Provincial and Local)  So they are "free"?

 

The new bus lanes, the bus stops, the new buses themselves, the new paint and body shop on Gorge. About that body shop, they do ~ 1,200 "projects" each year.  Oops....and ouch....how much does that cost?

 

George received a new "administrative area".  Langford has a new 4,000-square-foot transit warehouse.   

 

Railway costs are labeled expenses while buses are labeled investments. In reality they are both subsidies.

Edited by On the Level, 06 March 2019 - 11:00 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

as soon as the mckenzie interchange opens the bus commute should be faster than the rail can ever be.

[Mike K.]

McKenzie will be a game changer. Victorians will recognize that despite decades of "you can't build your way out of congestion" rhetoric, we're about to. And it'll be amazing.

[Mattjvd]

McKenzie will be a game changer. Victorians will recognize that despite decades of "you can't build your way out of congestion" rhetoric, we're about to. And it'll be amazing.

Well, it'll move the congestion to the Tillicum and Saanich intersections. But on a bad day, those six to eight hundred un-congested, metres between MacKenzie and Tillicum might save 10 minutes.

Edited by Mattjvd, 07 March 2019 - 09:01 AM.

[Coreyburger]

This is the bike lane paradox. Literally everyone I have ever talked to from all walks of life, all ages, genders, races, cultures and creeds, coworkers, family, friends, enemies, taxi drivers and bar tenders, store owners and students, tour guides, construction workers, bus drivers, unemployed drinkers, literally everyone, they all HATE the bike lanes and laugh about how silly they are, and yet politically the bike lanes did great

 

Which means your circle of friends is different from my circle of friends. And it is possible that we are both getting confirmation bias: people are telling us what we want to hear. But all the independent research and the last election shows people love bike lanes and want more (consistent with everywhere else)

Edited by Coreyburger, 07 March 2019 - 09:12 AM.

[Coreyburger]

McKenzie will be a game changer. Victorians will recognize that despite decades of "you can't build your way out of congestion" rhetoric, we're about to. And it'll be amazing.

 

For at most 5 years. I am betting on 2.

[Victoria Watcher]

For at most 5 years. I am betting on 2.

 

9-5 downtown and UVic employment isn't growing enough to crowd up that corridor at rush that quick.  

[Mike K.]

For at most 5 years. I am betting on 2.

 

That's exactly what I'm talking about.